Flowers Amongst Snow
by terramari
Summary: Hellebore cares for little else in this world except her sisters. she's protected them since they were little, and nothing can stop her from getting to them. So when someone from the Atlanta group becomes fascinated with her, is she too busy finding her sisters to even notice? REVISED!
1. Chapter 1

Rose, Lily and Hellebore Caillot were as close as sisters could be. Lily was the littlest sister, with long blonde hair and wide blue eyes that attested to her innocent and sweet nature. Rose shared her sisters golden locks and bright eyes, and her lips were bloodred. As she grew, men would follow her home, telling her that her mouth was like a rosebud, blushing deeply and waiting to be kissed. Rose was a year older than Lily, and the two were like angelic twins, loved and adored by all who met them. Little girls wanted to play with them, little boys sent them valentines, mothers begged to babysit them. But they looked to none other than their eldest sibling, Hellebore. They had all been named after flowers that their mother planted and nourished every spring and summer. Alice, their mother, was an artist. During her first pregnancy, nearly eight months along, she was wandering through the cemetery to visit her recently deceased husband, her long blonde hair catching snowflakes. She noticed a dark, nearly black flower, standing out amongst the snow.

"Hellebore." She had murmured to herself. It was growing on a wild bush near her husband's grave. She decided to name the child after the flower. When Hellebore was two, Alice met Will, and they fell in passionate love. The two were very happy together and she had two more children, Lily and Rose. Will had been the heir to an ancient, but magnificent manor near the coast of England. The girls grew up there, running through the fields and playing in the woods next to the little creek. They took Latin lessons and spoke to each other in Latin, having fallen in love with the concept of a dead language. They had each been given their own rooms, but they all refused. All three of them slept on the utmost floor, in an attic room with high vaulted ceilings and windows all around. They had their own beds, but they would often lay under the sheets of Hellebore's large four poster at the far end of the room, telling eachother stories late into the night. Hellebore had never slept well, even as a child. She would crawl out of bed, making sure her sisters were fast asleep and perch on the windowsill, listening to the ocean, watching the stars move across the night sky.

They grew older and Rose fell in love with a boy from their school. She stayed awake thinking one night of what was to come, after telling her sisters of their kiss in the apple orchard. It was now that she noticed her older sister slipping away to the windowsill. She did not say anything, but fell asleep, feeling safe that her sister was there to keep watch over them.

Hellebore was 16 when she first went to London to visit her aunt, this time without her parents or her sisters. She discovered the joy of dancing through the night, and rummaging through thrift stores. She wandered out at night, walking along the Thames, watching the streetlights and young lovers, barefoot to silence her footfalls. Her parents were concerned for her well being, afraid she would get hurt. But it wasn't until she returned to her tiny village that she discovered what they feared.

She and Lily were out wandering by their driveway to town, when she saw him, a fellow classmate, three years older than her. He wanted Lily to come with him. Hellebore could smell the liquor on his breath.

"No, I'll go." She said. He had tried to grab drunkenly at Lily, but hellebore shoved him off and climbed in his car. She saw Lily standing there in the side mirror, waiting. He dragged her out, pushed her into a dimly lit room. Tried to kiss her. She pushed him off, tried to yell. But he covered her mouth, took her clothing.

Rope, burning her wrists, her own panties in her mouth. Bruises, handprints, that would never fade. Tears didn't help, so she stopped crying.

It was the mirror that saved her. The shards lying all over the floor, after he had left her to die in a puddle of her own blood. She sawed through the ropes, scrambled out the window.

It had been three days.

She washed herself off in the creek when she got home. Her parents yelled at her, frantic at her having been gone without a word. Her only reply was that she had been staying at a friends house and had forgotten to call. She had covered up her bruises and scrapes with her jumper.

She kept watch over her younger sisters, told them stories, warned them to avoid ropes. She barely slept anymore. She still sat in her windowsill, listening to the gentle snoring of her beloved little sisters.

"Where did he take you?" Lily asked into the night.

There were some things that hellebore had to protect them from, some things that could never weigh on the consciousness of her sweet sisters.

"Dormi nunc soror, dormire." Sleep now, my sister, sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

They were celebrating Lily's 20th birthday when they got the news. It was a bright summers day in Atlanta, and Rose and hellebore were visiting Lily in the states. She had gotten an internship over the summer in Atlanta and decided to stay. But the girls couldn't stand to be separated from each other for more than six months, and they had barely seen a glimpse of Lily over winter break. So they set off for America. They were having tea in Lily's lovely little apartment, the sunlight filtering on their long blonde hair. Hellebore was barely an inch above her shorter sisters, their doll like frames clad in pretty little dresses. She was petite and her hair had grown into a wild, dark mane of waves that fell around her pale face. Her eyes were an intricate shade of hazel and her eyelashes were as dark and long as her hair.

Rose had been in London, living with hellebore. She hadn't wanted to impose on her older sister, but Hellebore had wanted her to move in, more than anything. Rose felt safer with her than she had even felt living with her parents after hellebore had moved into the city. Hellebore was dancing and attending university. She planned on majoring in microbiology. She taught several beginning dance classes to pay for rent and her own dance lessons. They were more than happy to be in each others company, though they each missed Lily sorely.

Lily had grown a bit and her face seemed more mature. But nonetheless, hellebore kept her eye out for her. They laughed and ate a few of Lilys scones, glad to be together. Lily's phone rang.

"hello? Oh hey. Um, yeah…I thought that those reports were isolated? Shit, you can't be serious! Ok. Ok. Love you too Amelia. Bye. Good luck."

She turned to her sisters, her eyes wide with fear.

"those report, the attacks…they've spread. It's like an infection, or virus."

"The one that kills you and…reanimates the body?" said hellebore, "They said it was isolated, but that's a bunch of shit. I told you it would get out."

Her sister nodded. "Well, good thing I took your advice and packed that handy survival kit. Just kidding. Come on lets get some shit together." They ran about the house, throwing things into the car.

It was late afternoon when they saw the first ones. Men, women children, a few at a time, staggering down the street, flesh missing from their body, dragging their feet, looking as though they had emerged from a nightmare. They saw Lilys neighbors attempting to escape to their car, cut off by two of them, They watched as all three of them were gutted mercilessly, torn apart, screaming, begging first for them to stop, then begging for death to close in upon them. It came. The sisters were transfixed in horror as their mangled bodies rose again and staggered down the street, in search of food.

Hellebore finally shut the curtains, her jaw set in determination. That fate would never fall upon her sisters. She would see to that. She dug through Lily storage bins until she found it, an heirloom their father had given to Lily before she moved to the states. She pulled the long sword out of it's case and examined it. She gave a little gasp as it nicked her finger. It was still very sharp.

"Those fencing classes dad made me take may not have been in vain." She grinned at her sisters who grinned back and grabbed knives of their own. They set out before darkness fell upon the city. Hellebore drove, speeding frantically to get out of the city. The radio said that the interstate was completely blocked and jammed up, so she took the back way. She looked over at her scared sisters, holding hands, and gritted her teeth in decision. They would make it through this; she would look out for them, as she had always done.


	3. Chapter 3

"_What the hell…" Hellebore stopped the car to get out. "Stay here." She warned her two sisters. The crowd was surging forward, screaming. She pushed forward to where the officer stood. _

"_Excuse me, whats going on?" The officer looked down at her, saw how petite she was, and he took pity. _

"_Look, you need to go back into the city, theres a whole wave of infected coming back this way, froma couple miles down the highway."_

"_what about the interstate?"_

"_no chance. It's swarmed with infected, completely blocked off."_

_She cursed and spun around. She ran back to the car, flinging open the doors._

"_get what you need. We're walking."_

_They grabbed their backpacks and weapons. Hellebore drew her sword and they crouched along the car sides, running for their lives. She ran into the first wave right as she could see where the cars began to clear, and there was open road. Several of them began to stagger at them. She could hear screams behind her as they began to attack all the people stuck in traffic. _

"_Up here!" she cried to her sisters, and they hopped onto the car roofs and began running along them, hopping from car to car. Finally, she could see where the road was clear. She looked to her right and ahead of her. A little truck with the keys still in the ignition, free of any blockades. But it was parked 100 feet away from the car they stood on. Three of the infected creatures, their faces gaunt and deadened, began to stumble towards them. Hellebore jumped from the car top, hearing her sisters scream. She ran towards the first one and with one motion swiped her blade at it's neck. She gave a cry of frustration. Her blade had only gotten halfway through. She retracted her blade towards her and then, with a cry she hacked once again at his neck, feeling his outstretched arms trying to tear her apart. It fell backwards. Another stumbled forward. She was ready this time. She lopped off it's head, throwing all her might into the blade and turned to her sisters. _

"_get in the truck, quick!" they hopped down and ran towards the truck. She headed for the next creature once she saw that they were safely in the truck. She was about to run over to the truck, when she was shoved aside. _

"_What the-"_

"_fuck, fuck, sorry-" a wild eyed man had pushed her aside. He looked like a horse next to a snake, his eyes wide and panicked. He paused for a moment, noticing the truck, with the keys in the ignition. Hellebore suddenly realized what he had been thinking. _

"_NO!" she screamed. They both dashed for the truck at the same time. He got there a bit before and had swung the door open, without noticing her sisters hidden in the back. Hellebore kicked him in the shins, tried to tear him away from the truck. She shrieked, bit down on his arm, punched at his face. She caught him on the nose and blood began pouring down his face. He slapped her away, until she punched him again, and he gave her a massive shove and she fell onto the ground. She sprang back up and ran at the truck, but it was too late. He had already slammed the door shut. She screamed, banging on the windows as he turned the key and started up the car. _

"_LILY! ROSE!" she ran after the car desperately. She saw her sisters scared faces peeking out of the back window as the car sped off into the distance. She kept running after the car numbly, refusing to stop or slow down, cutting down any of the infected in her path. The car rounded a corner, and the last thing she saw was sweet Rose and Lily's faces pressed against the glass of the rear window. _

Hellebore awoke, sweating. She sat up from the floor where she had fallen asleep. The room was dimly lit by the moon. She rose and strode to the window. The glass had been shattered and she felt a cold breeze that rattled the last leaves on the trees. Snow was coming, she could smell it in the air. The summer had been long and brutal. She ran in the dark of the woods and damp decay of abandoned houses, searching the northern piece of Georgia forher sisters, asking anyone she ran into. They were perplexed by her. She had no need to stay with a group. She had no need for other people. She needed her sisters. They offered her tents, food, supplies. But she had all she needed. Her sword, a few packages of dried food, a blanket, extra clothing, a bow and arrow for hunting, a knife she had picked up along the way, water purifying tablets, matches, her journal and Lily's favorite book, "Pride and Prejudice" hellebore remembered listening to her read it aloud to them, Rose crafting or drying flowers next to the bedside, hellebore sitting on her windowsill.

"_You know, I don't think true love like that exists. It's silly to believe that the perfect man will come along, you'll engage in passionate dispute and then he'll propose to you."_

"_well then, why are you reading it? Jane Austen is reading for the intelligent romantic."_

"_I like the characters. All the sisters. It reminds me of us. I just wish true love did exist. It would make me happy just to see you two that ecstatic. I wouldn't be able to give either of you up to any man, unless if he was darcy. No, better than Darcy."_

_Hellebore was gazing at her fondly, as was Rose. Rose threw a pillow at Lily. _

"_Ha, me? Married? Bugger off."_

_Lily grinned. "Yeah, because you definitely never fell head over heels for Bill. That's just not your style at all, Rosie." Hellebore laughed at this, as Lily and Rose started attacking each other with the soft, down pillows. Feathers began to fly everywhere. Hellebore jumped in and they fell to the bed in a pile of giggles, watching the feathers float to the ground like snow… _

No, hellebore hadn't stayed with any of the groups. Despite their wariness, they seemed desperate fo human contact. To know that someone else was alive. But some pushed her away immediately after answering her questions about Lily and Rose, which was fine with her. She saw in their eyes that the last flicker of hope had gone out. They wanted her gone, so that wouldn't rekindle it, merely to disappoint them. She didn't care about hope. She didn't care about being realistic. She would find her sisters. If they were dead, she would find their bodies and bury them. Properly. If they were walkers, she would put them down and lay them to rest. She had thought through each possibility a hundred times.

Hellebore stared at the dark street below her. It really had gotten cold. Moonlight glinted on the frosty grass. She could see dawn treading quietly in the distance, stalking the pink sliver of horizon. She gathered her things up and ate quickly. She left the house behind her, another fragment of someones life, left behind in the hurry to survive, the frantic dismay of the world.

Maybe it was sadistic of her, but hellebore liked the world better this way. She could handle her own against the walkers. She could easily forage for berries and plants in the summer and she had turned into quite a decent hunter with her bow and arrow. She liked it. But she hated it. For it was this world, the people living in it, that had torn her sisters away from her.

She spotted a walker from 100 feet away and quietly pounced on him from behind, easily lopping his head off with her sword. She noticed that he was carrying a bag. Somehow it had remained on his body all this time. She wrestled it off the body. Inside was a water bottle, a knife, a fairly bruised apple, a compass and a map. She grabbed the bag and hurried off into the woods before any more walkers came along. Munching on the apple, savoring it's taste, she pulled out the map and examined it. There, just south of her, was a massive amount of government property that the owner had circled in red pen. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was called the West Georgia Correctional Facility. A prison. Not a bad place to head for. Next to the red circle, the owner of the map had scrawled, "source of alarms?"

Alarms, eh? That meant that there were people there. Probably quite a few. It was as good of a place to look for her sisters as any.


	4. Chapter 4

Rain was pouring down as Hellebore stopped to look at her map, crouched under the feeble shelter of a tree. She squinted, and made out that she had about three miles to go. She put the map away into her bag and continued to trek through the dismal woods. It had been raining for nearly two days straight. She could feel a fever beginning to form in her bones. She knew that she had exposed herself to the cold for far too long, and she couldn't hope to stay at the prison. It was probably overrun anyways. She gritted her teeth against the headache and staggered on.

"_halli!"_

_She looked down from the tree to see Rose standing there, looking mortified. She easily shimmered down the tree, her black dress fluttering around her as she landed easily on the ground. _

"_Rose, soror, whats wrong?" their uncles funeral had been today. He had been dear to them all, but they saw him rarely. _

_Rose looked up at her older sister with wide, tremulous eyes full of tears. _

"_Do you think that he just disappeared? Everything that he is…now no one will know him except those that already did. There isn't anymore…potential. The potential that comes with life. He'll just fade away. Everything that he worked to be. Is that what happens?"_

_Hellabore thought for a moment on this as they walked through the golden woods, lit by autumn sunlight. _

"_No. we still have memories. Memories that we can pass on to others. We live on. In each other's hearts."_

_She turned to hellebore, looking confused._

"_But. I don't want that to happen to me. I don't want to just die…the end of something, the door is shut…"_

_Hellabore stopped in front of their mothers garden, where she had planted several deep red rose plants. They were presents. Her mother planted one for Rose, then her father planted one, and then the two of them helped tiny Hellabore to plant the third. This was how they welcomed her into the world. _

_Rose suddenly looked at her, her eyes alit with an idea. _

"_Halli? I know."_

"_Me too, soror, me too."_

"_We'll plant out flowers on each other's graves. That way…something can grow. It doesn't just have to end there."_

_Hellabore kissed her sister gently on the head and they held hands as they walked back to the house._

Hellebore barely noticed the gate. She practically ran into it. Her fever was blinding her, she felt too nauseous to stand. She refused to let her knees give out and vomited as a result. She clung to the fence, heard footsteps through the rain, and heard a voice crying out…

"No, don't shoot, she's not a-"

She felt a blinding pain in her left shoulder. I t relieved her of the daze her fever had brought on momentarily, if only to look down and see blood running down her arm and an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. She felt confused, and dazed and suddenly very dizzy. Blackness began to cloud around her as she clung to the fence desperately, her hands slipping. She felt someone shaking her, trying to wake her, heard voices shouting. She thought of her sisters, remembered the promise that they had made.

"hellebore," she murmered, "plant hellebore…on my grave…" She forced her eyes open. She could make out a sturdy man with a chiseled face, leaning over her. Other people were near, but their forms were too fuzzy. She gritted her teeth against the impending darkness and pain and grabbed the man's arm. He looked at her.

"You have to plant hellebore on my grave. You have to."

He looked confused tried to shake his head but she gripped his wrist tighter.

"You have to. I promised…"

She heard him say something, yelling to the others, but she didn't understand. She could feel the rain pounding down, numbing her with cold. The darkness clouded her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own the walking dead, duh. **

Hellebore dreamt of her sisters. They were running through the woods, finding an old tree fort climbing up and pretending to battle imaginary foes. Sunlight poured in from the tall trees above and the creek gurgled it's way through the forest.

Fever ached in her bones and nausea took her stomach, clenched and twisted. She sat up, her vision blurry. She felt strong hands grab her and pull her up. Frantic voices.

"Gaddummit, bitch is gonna hurl."

She fought the nausea as she was dragged to a toilet. She grasped the cold porcelain and emptied her stomachs contents into it. She felt relief wash over her briefly as she finished vomiting. She finally shook her head to clear it of the pounding and pain. She stood up shakily and turned around to face two men. The tall man with a kind, but lined face and dark hair stepped towards her.

"Sorry ma'am, about the arrow, but we got you cleaned up. I'm Rick, this here is daryl." He gestured towards the sturdy man, who she had spoken to earlier. The chiseled face was lean, like the rest of him and he wore a cutoff shirt and a crossbow. She nodded.

"I'm Hellebore. Thank you for your help."

Daryl looked puzzled. "hellebore? But-"

"I know. Sorry, but it's a very long story. I really am thankful for your help. But I have to ask you a few questions."

They looked at each other briefly, confused before looking back at her.

"uh, dontcha thank we oughta be askin you tha questions?" Daryl asked her.

"I know, but, I'm looking for someone. I just need to know if they're here or not, and then I'll leave you be."

Rick shrugged at Daryl.

"yeah, ok, but, look, I'm not a big fan of outsiders, and I'd rather you didn't stay, but one of mine shot you on accident. We owe you your health at least. Stay, we'll get that fever down and give you some antibiotics for your shoulder. "

She shrugged off the burning sensation that was steadily clouding her vision from her shoulder, quickly growing irritated.

"Look, please, I'm just looking for my sisters, I just need to know if you've passed by them, seen them."

They both gave her pitying looks.

"How many?" daryk asked. "How old?"

"Lily, the youngest, she's 19, and Rose is 20."

"You the oldest?" he grunted.

"yeah. They're both blonde, fairly petite. Blue eyes, pale…"

Rick looked at the ground, shaking his head.

Daryl just looked at her, conflicted.

"you've seen them!?" she took his look to be one of recognition. He bit his lip, cursed under his breath. She lunged at him before he could try to look away.

"Tell me, goddamnit!"

"aight, look, I don't know if it was even them, I just saw some un like that,ok?"

"alright, alright!" Rick pulled her off of him, and she stood glaring at Daryl.

"just…tell me everything."

"I saw some girl, Blondeish hair…more like golden or summat…she was lookin for firewood,…I…well…I just kept my bow trained on 'er, she got a bit scared, just told me she di'nt 'ave no plans 'o hurtin me…that was 'bout two months ago. She was wearin some ragtag dress, looked like she 'ad escaped a dinner party an' run straight fer tha woods."

Hellabore clung to every word that the redneck spoke, suddenly recognizing the description.

"What color? What was the dress like?"

"uuhh, I think it mighta been blue at some point." He thought back hard, trying to remember anything more distinct. "Oh yeah. Tha's right. The sleeves. An' the back, it was all strappy. An' the sleeves were long. I dunno, I aint no fashion consultant!"

Hellebore was hit with shock, relief and exhaustion all at once. Her knees gave out from under her. Lily's graduation dress. Of course she had packed it. She loved that dress, she had practically lived in it the summer after she graduated.

"Whoa! Daryl, help me get her back to the bunk."

"Hell, Rick, you getting old if you can't carry her. How much you weigh girl, 80 pounds?"

Hellebore struggled to her feet, fighting them both off as they tried to drag her over to the bunk again.

"no! get off!" She managed to shove them off. They stood back, looking at the panting girl with hesitation.

"Look," Rick began, "You're real weak. Lately I'm not one to just take people in, ask anyone, but we owe you, and you'll die out there if ya don't rest."

"Why the fuck do you care, huh? Everyone else was so eager for me to leave, and here you are trying to feed me and put a pillow under my head without caring about how far your supplies will stretch. And I don't think you've got a surplus hidden away in this barren wasteland. It's the middle of winter, for fucks sake."

She suddenly looked at them and realized that what she had said had rung true.

"You do have surplus supplies." She added softly.

Rick turned away, kicked at the cell door, cursing loudly.

"Well, sorry for walkin in just as your losses get topped, that's great for you guys. Good to hear that a few more pieces of shit in this earth will last through the winter."

Rick suddenly stormed at her. She could feel his eyed trying to burn her.

"Good? Good that we'll-" he ran his hand through his hair, pulling at it in frustration. "my wife is dead. I would starve to see her again."

She didn't let her gaze falter, nor did she ask for forgiveness.

"There. Feel a little less sorry for me now? Now if you'll excuse me, I have a few more questions to ask daryl."

She pushed past him. He looked broken, standing there alone. She grabbed her sword from the corner of the room, along with her backpack. She stood up too quickly, feeling a wave of dizziness and nausea wash over her. She fought it and slipped her sheath and sword over her shoulder. Daryl followed her as she began to navigate her way around the eerie corridors, down from the cell block, searching for an exit.

"hey, look here little girl-"

"Little girl? I'm twenty two."

"yeah well, you don't look it."

She turned to face him, pausing briefly, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"should I take that as a compliment?"

He blushed and sputtered. She opened the outside door and was momentarily blinded by the light. She took in the guard towers and the fences, running all the way from the entrance to the courtyard before her, the complex structure winding all around the prison. She took off for the guard tower, Daryl tagging along behind her.

"Hey, lady, this aint your property, you caint just walk all up around here like you own the place. S'ours, aint gonna have no british bitch pouncing around-"

She whirled around to face him. "let me get my bearings, and then I'll leave."

She began to climb up to the guard tower.

"Oh, hey lady, hold on! Maggie and Glenn're up there!"

She swung the door open to find an Asian boy and young girl making out passionately, clutching each other tightly. They scrambled out, looking sheepish.

"Lovely."

She walked around to the viewpoint and took out her compass and map. Daryl furiously marched up to her.

"Hey, whats yo' fuckin problem, bitch?"

She turned to face him, snarling in his face.

"My problem is that I'm trying to find the only people I care about in this world. Please quit getting in my way." She took her map out of her bag and compass. She made a few quick marks after looking at the compass. "Hmmm. So, just where were you when you saw Lily?"

"What, the ragtag girl?"

"Lily." She had spun on him again, breathing hard through her nose.

"Right. Lily. Uhh, I dunno, we was campin next to this road 'ere…Um, lemme thank…Oh yeah, I was headin off for some huntin, went west of here a bit an' foun' a little crick, crost tha' an' then…yeah, somewhere bout' here, she was walkin through tha woods right there. She went east from there. Tha's all I know, I swear."

She nodded. The prospect that at least one of her sisters was alive suddenly began to bubble in her chest, giving her a warm energy that spread to her toes. For the first time in a long time, she grinned, thinking what Lily would say upon meeting her again.

"_Oh my god hellebore, you look like the plant you were named after, grown over the hedge, with black petals everywhere."_

Lily had said to hellebore when she had walked in after He had taken her, kept her from her sisters for three days. For the first time in three days that had seemed like forever, she smiled at her sister.

"Thanks, daryl. Seriously, this means the world to me."

"Yeah, I can tell," he muttered. He bowed his head slightly, shuffling his feet. She cocked her head curiously.

"Did you…have anyone?"

"Yeah. Merle, my brother. He's probably alive yet. Aint no one can kill Merle but Merle."

She gazed quietly at the somber brother.

"He was the eldest?"

"How'd ya-"

"You look way too lost to be an older sibling. That's why I've got to find mine. They're lost without me. Couldn't ever find their way in the woods, how are they gonna find their way through this world?"

With this she shoved the map into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder and checked her sheath before heading back out towards the entrance gate. She felt the fever and naseua coming on again, but she was too close now to give up and let her search wait another day. She was shaking her head to clear it when she heard yelling behind her. She turned to see what was going on. Daryl was running down from the guard tower, pointing to her right.

She turned to see a snarling, rotted face barely five feet from her.

**So, I'm still debating about the whole Daryl/OC thing. They're both too independent and strange to just start developing feelings for each other. That's not daryl, nor is it her style. It just sort of has to happen…So have patience; there will be much plot and happenings before I get around to them actually hooking up. And even then, it'll be fairly detached. XD **

**Reviews are always appreciated of course. You know, just to keep me writing. I get distracted fairly easily. :D**


	6. Chapter 6

Daryl watched in horror as the walker drew in towards her. He prepared to watch as her pale, slender neck was torn out. Running towards her, he saw her turn to the walker, a crowd of them following behind it.

Had she smiled? From afar it looked as though a small smirk had tugged up the corners of her mouth. She drew her sword and whirled upon the walker, sending it's head flying. She stood at the ready for the next one. He whipped his crossbow up and shot two down, but it didn't even make a dent. Almost twenty surrounded her. He backed up, ready in case they should turn on him. But they didn't. she didn't scream at all, and he couldn't see her from the crowd of them surrounding her.

Rick, Glenn and Maggie had heard the shouting and they came running outside.

"What the hel-"

"She just got boxed in. Nearly twenty of 'em. Aint nothin we can do."

They looked at the group of walkers, probably now feeding ecstatically on her warm flesh. Maggie gulped and Glenn put his arm around her, leading her away. Rick tugged at Daryl.

"C'mon. shouldn't watch this." Daryl lingered a moment or two before turning back. He was walking towards the gate when he heard her utter a cry, a shriek that rattled him.

At last. Someone to pick a fight with.

Hellabore easily took off the walkers head. Twenty or so closed in on her quickly, gnashing their teeth, growling and hissing at her. She gripped her sword in her hands and let the rage that had been building, the furious determination that kept her alive, completely overtake her. She threw herself at them, her sword flying in every direction, letting her dancers coordination direct her feet. The first five went down easily, they were spread out, but the next ones seemed to all come at once. She ran at them, giving herself a second of an advantage instead of letting them all attack at once. The first went down. She ran her sword through two of their head, catching two at once. It was all the advantage she needed. She easily began wiping them out, one by one, her eyes alight with bloodlust. As she took another down she heard one breathing behind her. She whirled around, and with a great cry, brought her sword down upon it, splitting it's head in two.

One more shuffled up to her, tripping over the pile of bodies that lay discarded around her. She smiled, yanked her sword out the other's head. She grabbed the creature, spun it around and held her sword to it's throat. It gurgled as she pulled, the head rolling off to the side, blood spilling onto her.

Daryl looked back in time to see her holding a zombie by the throat. She pulled at the sword and its head bounced to the ground.

"What the fuck?" he muttered. "RICK!"

Rick came dashing back out, looking first to Daryl, then to the girl, covered in blood, holding her sword to her side. His mouth dropped.

"What? But she was surrounded-"

"I know!" They began to walk back towards her. The walkers body dropped from her and she saw them, let out a lucid grin and collapsed.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hellebore's 17__th__ birthday passed quietly in the snugness of the kitchen, candles burning against the windows, where snow drifts had begun to pile up. She quietly thanked her mother for the cake and they toddled off to do homework after getting a piece. Hellebore brought some of the cake upstairs, to where her sisters were strewn about. They chatted over the cake, eating until they could barely touch another morsel, laughing at old jokes. Hellebore told them a story as they curled up under the covers of her enormous bed. _

_She told them of Ciras,an evil shadow that passed from man to man, possessing them with ill content. _

"_You can never tell when someone's going to be possessed. It could be someone you know. All of a sudden they're taken by this wicked rage and it gives them power for their malcontent."_

_Stay away from ropes, she warned. Never let your guard down. Don't let your vision become impaired by drugs or alcohol if you feel there is something near you can't trust. _

_None of them ever were possessed by the desire to lose control and drink as incessantly as most girls their age. Instead, they would sneak out of the house every full moon. The earth would be lit by the moon as they ran through the orchards, like fairies, dashing to the woods, holding hands and laughing. The sound of their quiet giggles would echo mysteriously in the empty night. Hellebore led them down to little river that wound it's way through the forest. She would light incense, and there the three girls would bathe in the moonlight, their clothing strewn gracefully on the shore. _

"_When you go under, open your eyes." Hellebore would say, "So that when you come up again, your eyes are fresh and clear."_

_They would do so, and upon reemerging, Lily and Rose felt that they could see more clearly than before. Perhaps now, with their eyes washed by the pure river water, they would be able to see danger clearly, see through the layers of deceit it hides itself behind. _

_They would all run back to the house. The topmost bedroom windows alit with candles. They're hair dripped with river water, the scents of night mingling with their own smells. _

_Always, Lily and Rose had smelled like vanilla. Their warm scent was endearing. Hellebore felt at peace with her sisters curled up next to her in bed, the light scent coming off their hair. They had told her that hellebore smelled heady, but in a sweet intoxicating way. _

_She wished now so badly that she could smell her sisters, feel their soft hair tangled on the pillow beside her…but now the scent of woods and spice filled her nostrils, the smell of the redneck south, as she had come to know from visiting Lily…._

Voices came in fragments. She knew she was awake, but everything seemed blurred, the pounding in her head was so intense. Her bones felt brittle, like they were made of hot glass and every movement it felt like they scraped against each other, sending throbs of pain through her entire body. The fever had completely taken her now, she knew it.

"I need aspirin and penicillin."

"Penicillin? Old man, you gotta be kiddin me, theres a whole block between us and the infirmary that we aint cleared out yet."

She saw several figures standing beside her bed, arguing.

"I cleared it out." She recognized Ricks voice. "I can run and get it."

"No," the old man said, "Youre weak, you haven't rested in days. Let Daryl go. And you haven't even held your on child yet, let alone choose a name."

She heard Rick stomp away, anothers footsteps following. Slowly the scene became slightly clearer. An old wizened man sitting on a chair next to her with white hair was peering at her.

"Hellebore? Are you awake?"

She groaned and gingerly pushed herself into an upright position, the wound in her side paining her. She had almost forgotten she had been shot by an arrow. The old man handed her a cup of water and a few pills.

"I'm Hershel. That's just some aspirin, you'd do well to take it."

She nodded and popped the pills in her mouth, washing them down quickly with the water. Swallowing was painful.

She cursed herself then, for catching a fever. It had delayed her search for her sisters and now she was at the mercy of this group.

"Lay back down, you need to rest." Hershel said kindly, taking the cup from her. She ignored him.

"how many are here?"

Hershel looked nervous. "I don't know if I should be answering those questions. I think I should leave those for Rick. He's in a bit of a state, but he'll be around soon enough."

Daryl came running through the door then, a few bottles in his hands.

"Uh, I dunno the difference between some o' these…so I just grabbed a bunch."

Hershel gave his thanks. Daryl the walked up to the bedside, peering curiously at her, he crouched next to the bed. She sensed his mistrust as he looked at her through narrowed eyes.

"So, _hellebore_. Just where in the hell didya learn how to carry a sword like that?"


	8. Chapter 8

**So that last chappie was a bit dull, but I'm just starting in on the good stuff, where the plotline of my story shall officially veer in the opposite direction of the tv show, The Walking Dead, which I do not own. **

**Thank you for ze reviews, BUT: more reviews in exchange for another chapter? I think yes. Need some feedback here, peeps. **

**And yes, hellebore is tunnel visioned, and therefore shall be blinded to the growing affections of a certain redneck for a LONG TIME. Mwuahahahahahaha….So don't get anyones knickers in a twist, romance is geezing it's way in…**

A small fire in a little pit crackled and spit in the midst of the dreary cell block. Outside the moon was dipping it's crescent in a starlit sky. A few moans and snarls from the dead could be faintly heard in the far distance, a gentle reminder of the gates that guarded the prison, keeping sanctuary. A young boy with a sheriffs hat crouched by the fire, his face tired with concern and weary with grief. His body language and ferociously gentle demeanor a near exact replica of his father, who sat staring into the fire opposite him, his eyes lined with the pain and sorrow brought upon him and his family. A young couple sat in the flickering shadow of the fire, their arms around each other and their hands entwined.

Hellebore examined the scene before her carefully before stepping out into the cell block from the shadows. Hershel followed behind her, his gait clumping loudly in the silent and vast area. All of them looked up at her as she stood before them, her head cleared of fever and her side well bandaged. Rick stood and walked over to her, his footsteps and face hesitant.

"ma'am-" He finally said, "I don't know if there's any other way to say this. I aint never seen someone handle a weapon like that. Taking on two or three walkers at once- sure. But _twenty?_ I- Well, I need answers."

She smiled thinly.

"I took fencing lessons."

He pulled at his hair. Expectant faces looked from him to her, their faces orange from the heat of the flames.

"Thing is- I know you're looking for your kin. But- my group..we're weak right now. We could really use someone with skills like that. I aint sayin you have to stay, but…consider it. I'm just tryin to look out for these people, and one more fighter couldn't hurt."

She felt their eyes pressing in on her, hopeful and expectant. Who wouldn't turn down his offer? Food, safety, shelter, a massive fortress completely guarded from the outside… But hellebore wasn't looking to survive this. She was hunting. These people were trying to make a life, establish something semi-peaceful. But it just wasn't for her. She had to find her sisters, and she would cut down all that stood in her path. She set her jaw, ignoring the anxious looks from everyone else.

"I'll stay the night if that's alright. Tomorrow- well, we'll see." The couple on the edge smiled at her, relieved, as did Rick and Hershel. She noticed Daryl slip in from his watch to listen.

The boy stood, facing her, fire in his eyes.

"You won't stay."

She turned to him, taking note of the maturity he had gained from constant loss and fear.

"carl-" Rick reprimanded him.

"She won't. She doesn't care for anyone else, just her stupid sisters. What so special about them that you have to run around searching for them anyways? They're dead. Or worse, they're walkers."

"Carl, that's enough." Rick said strongly, stepping towards him. Hellebore didn't mind, she barely flinched at his words, words he had intended to wound.

"We made a promise," she said. "It doesn't matter if theyre dead. I'll find their bodies and bury them. And if theyre walkers, I'll shoot them and bury them. If they're alive, then I'll protect them with my life."

Everyone was now staring at her as though she was insane.

"But," Rick said gently, "Hellebore, if they're bit…they won't remember who they are-"

"You think I don't know that? What is it with people and fucking commitment these days? I made a promise to my sisters that goes beyond being dead or alive. I'm not stopping until I've made good on that promise."

"I'm sorry," It was the korean boy who spoke now, "But do we get to know what this promise is? We need you and you're going to let us fend off hordes of walkers to fulfill some stupid pinky promise?"

They began to mumble arguments amongst themselves. Rick turned to her, his face searching hers for an answer.

"I do think we have a right to know hellebore."

"The flowers." She heard daryl's gruff drawl from the shadows before he walked into the firelight. He looked straight at her.

"s' the flowers, aint it?"

She kicked herself mentally for having thought she was going to die and confessing to him, but nodded nonetheless.

Before Rick could turn to her and question her, she started to explain.

"My younger sister, Rose…she was afraid that after death, nothing would come of it. That death would be a loss, a pain, a hindrance and nothing else could come of it. So, the three of us promised that we would plant our flowers on each other's graves when we died, or that someone would do it for us. Hellebore, Roses and Liles. So that something could grow and bloom from death. We made a blood promise." She held up the small white scar on her wrist in the firelight.

With this she held her arms at her side awkwardly, the silence after he small speech deafening. A look of understanding and sympathy passed over Carl's face. Indeed, many of them were wishing they had made such promises to their loved ones, to watch something grow in place of the tragedy. But they wondered if they would have ever made good on such a promise. Hellebores determination frightened the small, weary group, for they were worn and bitter from spending so long in this world.

Hellebore turned and walked out of the cell block to make her way to the guard tower, leaving behind the miserable group.

Rick pulled at his hair continuously. The group had shot questions and arguments at him as soon as she had left. They needed her, and he knew it.

"Look, man, maybe we can come to some sort of compromise with her."

Rick turned to look at Daryl, the redneck seeming too reasonable for himself.

"What sort of a compromise could we come to?"

"I dunno man, maybe I'll go with her to find her sisters, and go huntin for a while or summat. We could make this home base, send us out on little search parties, have her cutting down walkers in all the surrounding area, comin our way…an' I could hunt, bring us some actual meat in here."

Rick mulled it over.

"Daryl, where the hell did all this compromise and reasonable shit come from, aint like you…But it's not a bad plan. But I feel like it's a bit of a trap."

"Yeah, that's cause it is."

Rick swiveled to face daryl.

"We convince her to go on little search parties for a couple days, searchin all the surroundin area for her sisters and comin back here in between. She'll settle in an' forget bout lookin when the winter really starts to kick in, and soon enough, there won't be much ground left to cover round these parts. But she cant really run off in the snow, start trekking out on her own, can she? She'll be stuck here for the winter, leavin us in a real good spot."

"I don't like it. It feels deceitful."

"Yeah, well, how the hell are we gonna deal with keeping everyone back here safe, clearin out cell blocks an' tryin ta find food an' supplies through the winter? We need her. She can take down entire cell blocks all on her lonesome. An' hell, we can all sleep at night whenever it's her turn to take watch. Hate to say it, but the girls got a knack for this sorta thing. That sorta person comes in handy nearin tha end of tha world."

Rick bit his lip a bit. He didn't like luring her in, and if she found out, the backfire could prove fatal for them. But she sure as hell would make getting through at least the winter a hell of a lot easier. He looked to Carl, who was staring absently into the fire, and realized that he wouldn't have to ask carl to help him take down cell blocks with him, force his little boy to shoot, kill and feel pure terror coursing through his veins.

"Alright. But she only stays the winter. After that…we gotta let her go."


	9. Chapter 9

**All the follow and favorites are AWESOME, thank you guys, really hope you're enjoying it so far!**

Daryl found her up in the guard tower. He looked outside to the little deck and saw her crouched in the darkness, her small and lithe figure clad in dark jeans and see through, black lacy shirt. Dark hair spilled down her back, tangled. She had found flowers in the open field on her way up to the tower and woven them in her hair. The effect made her seem ethereal, like something that didn't belong to anyone from the pre-apocalyptic world. She belonged entirely to a world away from humanity. The serenity she carried through days of horror made her a queen.

She knew he was there despite the lack of noise his hunter's feet made, but she didn't move. He walked over to where she was watching the moonlight move across the landscape. A cold breeze played with strands of her hair, so dark it practically reflected the starlight. She looked up to him, her eyes surprisingly hazel in the night.

"well? Have they finished deciding whether or not you should try and kill me or not?"

He snorted. Try. Of course, she was right. Even if all of them tried to bring her down, she would probably come out on top.

"nah. We have a compromise to offer you. If ya'd be willin ta consider."

She smiled thinly and stood up.

"go on."

"Stay here. We'll search for you sisters, cover as much area as we can in a few days, an' I can go huntin'."

She turned to face him. If he had any other convincing arguments, they fled his brain quickly. She was like a deer in the headlights, her eyes were so enormous, but she didn't look startled at all. He suddenly felt all the game and skill escape him. Even though he wasn't lying, something in his stomach twisted as though he was guilty. She could see right through him.

"a trap."

"I, what? No-"

"I'm not accusing you. I'm just saying; it's a trap, and not one I'll be lured into. You expect that at the very least if I stay for a while, give your group a chance, I'll grow attached. But let me tell you something Daryl," when she said his name it was like poison being slipped into his drink- "I don't form attachments very easily." She was leaning forward now close to his face, and he could smell her. It was a deep, sweet smell, heady in the night air. She turned away to face the midnight sky again.

"so you'll leave."

"no."

"What?" Daryl swung around to face her, his confusion making him irritable.

"I never said I would go. I'll stay and protect your friends." She turned to look him squarely in the eye. "But be aware- after the winter, your little group will owe me. Now bugger off and leave me to my watch." She turned away and leaned against the rail again.

Daryl seethed. "Don't think you got any right ta push me around, ya uppity british bitch."

To his surprise and shock, she laughed and spun around suddenly.

"You stupid, ignorant country bumpkin. Where's your weapon? Where's your knife? Where's your gun?"

Before he could even blink she had whipped out her sword and was holding it against his throat at his side. He had barely even seen her move. She was damn quick.

"I'll push you around until you earn my fuckin respect and start acting like less of an emotional four year old who's daddy beat him too much. That why you're lookin for your big brother? He look after your virgin ass? Well not anymore little boy. I'll push you around however the fuck much I want."

With this she stalked off to the other end of the deck. Daryl had to collect himself briefly before furiously stalking back to the cell block inside the prison.

She had somehow taken him completely by surprise. She was perfectly right, of course, all he had on him at the time had been his knives, but those wouldn't have made any difference at all. She was dangerous, unpredictable.

And yet, she had seen right through him. How the fuck had she determined all that just from looking at him? It was as though she could read minds. She could determine exactly who he was from looking at him, and yet had didn't have an inkling as to whether or not she would be a danger to them. He somehow doubted it, but he didn't cross out the possibility of her murdering them all without blinking an eye.

No, no. she had said that they would owe her. But just what would she ask of them? She was too much of an enigma, maybe he should have told Rick to call the whole thing off; there would be no way of telling what she would ask of them after the winter.

As he lay in his bunk that night, sleep never came. He contemplated her all night, first mulling over the many possibilities and outcomes of her presence, then sorting out what she had said to him, trying to make out her character; determine the threat she posed. She was a freak. Something was wrong with her. He closed his eyes but couldn't stop the stream of thoughts running through his head.

**K guys, so…Don't be mad at me…But I've completely revised this. But don't worry! I'm just a perfectionist! Future chapters will be ten times better! I promise! The whole Daryl/ Hellebore thing just wasn't working however many times I tried, but there will be romance. However, it will be a SURPRISE! Muahahaha…**


	10. Chapter 10

Hellebore awoke the next morning in a foul mood. She had been rolled out of her very comfortable bunk, this having been the first safe bed she had slept in for months. She was violently shaken awake from a deep slumber by none other than Rick. It took her a while to come out of her dream, in which she had been on a very rocky ship, and realize that she was being yelled at. She shot up in bed suddenly, causing Rick to grapple back, slightly startled.

"Goddamnit, rick, what the fucks goin on?!" she had already hopped out of bed and grabbed her pants. She was wriggling into them as he stared before shaking his head. She realized she was wearing her lacy black thong.

"what? Oh. Well, jesus, all my other underwear got stolen by whotserface- carol" She managed to pull on her dark, skinny jeans and quickly strapped her sword across her shoulder.

"We've got a few walkers that found an open window into the courtyard. Carol found 'em on her way to do laundry this morning- your laundry in fact."

"you have your own laundry woman. Dandy. Righto, I'll pop down and check it out."

Rick followed her as she started to make her way out of the cell block.

"hey, I didn't mean for you to take care of it-"

"oh go on, I don't mind. Just what I needed to wake me up." Rick pulled his gun out of his holster to signal that he was following her anyways. "I'll be fine on my own. Go- eat some breakfast or something, officer shiny." He looked unsure and didn't put his gun away.

"no, I think I'll come with you." She squinted at him.

"Fine." They took off, locking the cell block door behind themselves. "But Rick-" she turned to him suddenly, "if you ever wake me up this early again, I will fucking hit you."

He smiled slightly as she stalked off towards the outside.

They could hear the snarling and moaning as they approached the west corner. Rick briefly peeked around the corner. There were only five, milling close to the little doorway that led to cell block seven. He pulled out his knife and turned towards Hellebore.

"Ok, so there's only five. Most of them are pretty close together, so we'll draw them out one by one, further away from the doorway and take them down and-"

She squinted at him, looking incredulous.

"The fuck are your talking about, Rick?"

"Uh, our strategy?"

She snorted. "hah. How about I just run in and kill them all?"

"No, you'll get bitten for sure, like I said, we draw them out one at a time."

"Actually, how about you do that? Seems like something you could handle. I'll take care of the others, leave you one or two to make you feel like you did something." She patted him on the back in what he supposed was to be a friendly manner.

"hellebore, don't just rush on in there, you aint takin this seriously-hellebore-" she had already rounded the corner before he could grab her. "God DAMNIT!"

He rounded the corner with her. She walked calmly up to the first and with one motion of her sword, had stabbed it in the head. Two came snarling up to her and rick felt himself flooded with fear for her, knowing what came next. As one dived for her, she brought her sword on its neck, and with a spin so fast she seemed like a blur, she had already cut down the other and lunged for the third as it stumbled forth. It barely had time to fall to the ground before she had turned about and run her sword through the fifths eye socket. She pulled her sword from its head with a sickening crunching sound and turned to Rick.

"There. Walkers dealt with. Tell Betty Crocker she can do her fucking laundry now."

Rick followed her as she started storming her way back up to the cell block.

"Look can you stop swearing so much? I have a kid-"

"Yeah, when I was his age I was cussing enough to make a sailor blush. You fuckin Americans, you're so puritanical, even after the world ends."

"well, I'd just appreciate it if maybe you didn't cuss so loudly when Carls around-"

She swiveled to face him, cocking her head.

"You know, you don't have to be so prude around me. It would do you some good to loosen up a bit."

His jaw almost dropped and he gave her his usual look of dubious concern.

"Loosen- jesus, Loosen up?" he scoffed, "Loosen up means dying. How the hell do you expect me to 'loosen up' when there are walkers around every corner, just waiting to rip my throat out and tear at my flesh?" he approached her, looking down at her pale face, blank of expression.

"Are you afraid?" She asked quietly.

"No. I'm afraid for my son, for the people I have to protect."

She smirked slightly.

"I didn't mean afraid of walkers. I know you're not afraid of them. Are you afraid that this world might turn into a better place?"

"What the hell? How could this world be good? My wifes dead, my little boy-"

"Defends himself quite beautifully. He really knows his way around a gun."

"If you're tryin' to imply that I'm happier-"

"Not that you're happier. But that you could be. If you let yourself go."

There was a curious glint in her eyes now, the hazel seeming quite bright, almost green in the morning light.

"You know, you oughta get summat ta eat."

She smiled, cocking her head in the odd way she did and turned around, walking back up to the prison.

"There's no need to hint. You can just tell me to fuck off."

He watched the tiny figure walk assuredly out of the courtyard, befuddled by her words. Just because she was content to live in this world didn't mean it was suitable for anyone else. She was queer, odd; a lone figure that wore dresses and dark eyeliner to kill walkers. Of course that suited her. There were unspoken words that seemed to hang from her presence, secrets that could fill volumes. But he sensed that she wouldn't dare speak them for their poisonous value. He would never go so far as to say that she was a witch.

But he suspected that others may have thought the same a long time ago.


	11. Chapter 11

Things were quickly going awry. The prison had once been a sanctum, but fear lingered on the edge of everybodys minds. Hellebore did as she always did, wandering through the night, keeping her new aquaintences safe. She knew they were grateful to her, for she could see it in their well rested faces. All of them, save Rick. He wandered in the darkest corridors late at night. She knew he rarely slept or ate anymore. Maggie and Glenn had been gone for an entire day now, and all the prison's residents were worried sick for them. Hellebore suspected the worst. She usually did.

She stood in the guard tower, sharpening her sword carefully, glancing up to see Rick walking down towards the fenceline, Carl following close behind. She held her hand up to keep the sun out of her eyes. A dark girl with long dreadlocks, limping, not staggering, nor groaning, walked up to the fence. She stared at Rick who barely raised his gun, having noticed the basket of baby formula in her hand. The walkers milled about- wait, what?

Hellebore sprinted down the stairs, practically throwing herself off the edge. She supposed it was her commotion as she ran towards them, or the general liveliness of the girl, but it was only now that the walkers surrounding her noticed her liveliness. She stumbled away, still holding onto her wounded leg.

"Hey! Rick! You fuckin dumbass, save her ass!" Rick turned to Hellebore who was sprinting towards them through the long grass, her skirt catching on the prickers. Carl ran to open the fence for her. Without hesitation, Hellebore ran at the walkers encircling the dark girl. She had barely drawn her sword before she kicked one down to the ground and slammed her blade into it's head. With an unsated thirst for violence that came of the prisons domestic lifestyle, she viciously maimed the other two, lopping off their arms first before ramming her sword down each of their throats, their teeth gnawing at the blade. The last one stumbled dumbly towards her and she walked up to it and gave it a good kick to the neck. Its head fell backwards and with another well aimed jab it wriggled on the ground. She pulled her foot up and began stomping its head in, blood spattering her boots and rotten brain fluid oozing onto the ground around her. Satisfied and feeling more relieved than a sober man taking a sip of good whiskey for the first time in thirty years, she let out a great sigh before turning back to Rick and the dark girl.

"Well come on then, get inside. More of them are bound to come bumbling up, and then I'd traumatize you even more."

She obeyed and followed them back inside the gate. Rick jogged up to match Hellebores pace, Carl keeping the dark girl at gunpoint.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with her? She's a danger to the group, what if she killed Maggie and Glenn, for all we know-"

"She's got your baby formula, you fuckin dick. Just play nice for two bloody seconds."

Rick lost her pace and stared after her, long legs more revealed as the yellowing grass swept her skirt up along with her. She certainly wasn't ever at a lack for words.

Hellebore was determined to stay out of the whole situation. It all sounded like a bad soap opera. Glenn and Maggie captured in some shithole nicey-nice setup, the governor running the whole thing…No, she would stay far away from all that drama. She'd suggested that they just wage a full out war against Woodberry, but her violent, more appealing offer was shut down. She'd gone as far as to briefly describe the final shootout between Rick and the governor, and it may have been the first time he barely cracked a smile since she'd met him. Carl was in hysterics.

"This is serious, if it's going down like that, then some of us need to make sacrifices. Axel, Carol, Herschel, all of you have to die, and I'll die right before Rick kills the governor. Ultimate sacrifice and all that."

"As amusing as this is, none of us are going to die, except for you, if you don't stop rambling about your dream death-"

"And then as we all lay dying of our battle wounds, Rick will whisper, "This…was for you…lil asskicker…" and then pan out-"

"But unfortunately we're dealing with the real shitake here, not a Hollywood franchise. So, instead we'll be going in with Michonne who seems to know her way around the place and rescuing Maggie and Glenn. That's all, end of plan. Please, no dramatic death scenes. That would really fuck up the whole sneakiness factor."

Everyone gave a small, mandatory gasp for what was, perhaps, the first time they had ever heard Rick truly utter a curse word. Carl quickly turned to leave the room as though he hadn't heard anything.

"Did I just drop an f-bomb in front of my kid?"

No one responded save Daryl, who was fighting a snigger.

"Yessir."

Rick swiveled towards Hellebore, who was studying her nails rather intently. She looked up at him, eyes wide and innocent.

"What?" He growled.

"Right. Lets get our stuff gathered up. We leave in an hour. And you're comin with, miss foulmouth."

"That, sir, is bloody hypocritical!"

She filled a water bottle and threw it in a satchel along with her two knives. She was ready far before the rest of them, having nabbed a gun as well and walking outside to stand in the diminsishing light before the stars. The pale dusk washed the sky in a clean light, and the colder air felt fresher. She was more than ready for a fight. She recognized Ricks sauntering footsteps coming up to stand beside her.

"You damn well better stop cussin. I drop another F-bomb in fronta Carl, he'll likely shoot me."

She grinned, looking up at the worn mans profile.

"End of the fuckin world. I decided I'd either start cussing all the time or fucking every living person I met. But I don't actually get along with most people, so that only really left me one choice."

Rick grinned at this and dipped his head in his usual custom.

"End of the fuckin world and a pretty girl can't even get laid. God, it must be the apocalypse."

She smiled serenely.

"Well can we get going then? Ive got a lot of sexual tension that can only be released in a fucking high stress rescue mission."

They wandered back to where the others were surely waiting by now, the stars having come out after the sun had died and the dusky light had settled into a small strip on the horizon.


End file.
